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Synonyms

fresco

American  
[fres-koh] / ˈfrɛs koʊ /

noun

plural

frescoes, frescos

  1. Also called buon fresco.  Also called true fresco.  the art or technique of painting on a moist, plaster surface with colors ground up in water or a limewater mixture.

  2. a picture or design so painted.

verb (used with object)

frescoed, frescoing

  1. to paint in fresco.

fresco British  
/ ˈfrɛskəʊ /

noun

  1. a very durable method of wall-painting using watercolours on wet plaster or, less properly, dry plaster ( fresco secco ), with a less durable result

  2. a painting done in this way

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
fresco Cultural  

  1. A painting on wet plaster. When the plaster dries, the painting is bonded to the wall. Fresco was a popular method for painting large murals during the Renaissance. The Last Supper, by Leonardo da Vinci, is a fresco, as are the paintings by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel.

Other Word Forms

  • frescoer noun
  • frescoist noun

Etymology

Origin of fresco

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Italian: “cool, fresh,” of Germanic origin; fresh

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Go the Capitol rotunda and look up at the dome, where Constantino Brumidi’s fresco The Apotheosis of Washington, painted during the Civil War, shows Washington in heaven, flanked by goddesses.

From Slate • Feb. 16, 2026

Arianna de Gregoriis, 23, said she had come to see the Meloni fresco and was returning after reading the news that the face had been deleted.

From Barron's • Feb. 4, 2026

The artist, Bruno Valentinetti, said he had simply restored the fresco he painted in 2000 and denied modelling the angel after the prime minister.

From BBC • Feb. 3, 2026

Von Stuck delights in contrasts: On the “Orpheus wall,” he enthrones the mythical lyre-player above tamed animals in an architectural fresco based on Pompeian murals.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

His hair was messy, but he had a magnificent smile, which immediately ranked him in the category of human beings who deserved to be painted into the gigantic fresco in her bedroom.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.